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Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Chua admits he was man in video

MCA vice-president and Health Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek today admitted that he was the person caught on video having sex with a woman, copies of which were widely distributed in Johor and elsewhere.

Chua apologised to Malaysians, his supporters and his colleagues for the indiscretion and said he had apologised to both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak and MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

However, said he would not quit his government and party positions.

Reading a prepared statement at a press conference at the Labis MCA office here, the minister described the woman as a personal friend. He refused to elaborate.

“The most important thing to me is that my wife, children and family have accepted my apology and forgive me,” Chua said at a packed news conference filled with journalists and his supporters.

He appealed to the media to give space to his family in these trying moments.

Chua stressed that he had not made the recording of himself but while it was not important in the context of his situation who had made the recordings, the motives of those responsible was quite clear, he said.

He did not elaborate but his comments seemed to suggest that it was his political enemies who had been behind the secret filming of his sexual act.

Chua repeatedly apologised to Malaysians and his supporters and said he was grateful for their calls and SMS to him.

Asked by journalists on what he intended to do about the manner the tape was obtained, Chua said he left it to the police to investigate.Pressed on his position in the Cabinet, Chua said: “I serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister.”

Chua’s case is not the first involving politicians, from both sides of the spectrum, in the country in controversies of sexual nature.

The existence of the DVD featuring Chua was first reported in the Chinese dailies on Sunday, after its emergence earlier in the day.

In the past, there have been controversies involving former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik, former Selangor Mentri Besars Tan Sri Muhammad Taib Muhammad and Datuk Abu Hassan Omar, opposition Keadilan defacto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and a former DAP assemblyman in Penang whose wife committed suicide from the Penang bridge after learning of his affair with another woman.

All these politicians saw their political careers suffer because of the controversies and none have managed a comeback to their former stature although some tried and are still trying.

Chua, a former Johore executive councillor, rose to national political prominence after he was appointed as Minister of Health in 2004 and became MCA vice-president.

He was widely seen as a serious candidate for the MCA deputy presidency, now held by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy, and eventually as MCA president.

However, his indiscretion may have cost him his political career, as evidenced by previous incidents involving politicians.